Caterina Charmant
Caterina Charmant, Duchess of Chailea '''(nee Amell), '''is the beloved ruler of Chailea. She was the wife of the late Sir Philip Durmain of Menople as well as the seventh, and last, wife of the late Raymund Charmant, Duke of Chailea. She is a former lover of Markeau Paralleo. General Information At the time of her birth, Caterina's family was low-ranked in the Chailean aristocracy. She was originally married to Sir Philip Durmain of Groben, who committed suicide, leaving Caterina widowed. She caught Raymund's eye not long after her husband's death and was invited to spend time with him when she came to court; during which he found her company to be pleasant. After his sixth wife's execution, Raymund proposed to Caterina, to which she agreed, out of fear that she too would end up either disgraced or executed. The marriage was obviously one without love or romance, as the old Duke only ever sent for his young wife when he desired her. Unhappy, she seldom made appearances at court. Instead, she became a devout follower of Sarenrae and often did work for the church, hoping the goddess would give her strength in enduring her marriage. She is one of the only two of Raymund's wives to have outlived him; the others having faced more tragic ends. And since Caterina held great esteem of their subjects, she ultimately elected to ascend to the throne herself following his death, since he lacked a true heir. Meeting Markeau Caterina met Markeau following his entrance into the Duke's court. In spite of the general shock of his appearance by other members of the court, her husband, whether out of deliriousness or boredom, welcomed him with open arms. Markeau was kind and courteous during their introduction, though Caterina perceived this as required pomp. Magic of the Sunwrought Festival Despite her husband's attitude on the subject, the Sunwrought Festival had been the one thing Caterina looked forward to every year. Following his refusal to attend with her, she found herself sought out by Markeau. She ultimately agreed to his company, which, to her surprise, she greatly enjoyed. They spoke of many things, including that she had inquired that he was married, though he had little to say on the subject, only stating that he and his wife weren't close. The night was like that of a fairy tale; wonderous and exciting. The two would go on to dance, causing emotions to run high. Caterina found herself getting lost in Markeau's eyes and, in the moment, thought about kissing him, before snapping back to reality and fleeing. He, of course, followed, and upon reaching her, kissed her. Caught up in the passion, she melted into it, before hearing someone in the distance. Pushing him away, she fled once more; speechless. Confliction and Decision In the following days, she would attempt to ignore Markeau, though found it difficult to, as he was often where you'd least expect him. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that it was just sexual tension between them and believed that by indulging herself just one time, she'd be able to break said tension and move on. Though conflicted at the prospect of breaking her marriage vows, she resolved to go forward, and ultimately had sex with Markeau. However, she soon discovered following their encounter that the tension had only gotten worse, as she found herself craving his touch again, more so than before, ultimately leading to them entering into an affair. Getting Caught and Ascension Their affair, while passionate, was short-lived, as not even a month had passed before the Duke discovered them in her bedchamber. Furious, he had Markeau sent to the dungeon, and Caterina to the tower; both to be beheaded in the following days. However, due to his age, and apparent deteriorating health, the anger he felt that day caused him to have a heart attack, leaving him bedridden. Of course, this was unbeknownst to Markeau, who, with the help of the Guild, had managed to escape the dungeon and had already decided to flee Chailea mere hours after his arrest. It wasn't until Markeau reached Sovereign City that he learned of the Duke's death and Caterina's ascension. Of course, he hasn't seen her since.